With deer season on the horizon, many hunters will be checking their favorite tree stands for the first time in months, a practice that should breed extra caution. If your stand is built of wood or metal, these natural events may have occurred since you last used it:
- Tree growth: Trees add a cambium layer each year, which increases the diameter of the trunk. If you used nails to build the stand, this process will pull the nail heads through the stand timbers, rendering them unstable.
- Water may have collected in pockets over the winter, causing expansion and contraction as well as rotting.
- Safety belts and attachment harnesses: The increasing diameter of the tree trunk may have burst the stand’s attachment strap. Ratchet straps should be loosened and retightened or replaced regularly.
- Porcupine damage: One Maryland hunter reported that a porcupine ate the entire wooden floor of his stand, new lumber that had been replaced the previous fall.
The Outdoor Wire lists more safety tips in this post from The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Practice use at ground level, gradually going higher.
Never carry anything as you climb — use a haul line to raise and lower equipment.
Maintain three points of contact when climbing.
Follow manufacturer instructions.
Don’t exceed manufacturer’s maximum height settings.
As with any piece of equipment, tree stands need inspection before use. Replace rusted bolts, frayed straps or, if needed, buy a new tree stand. Leaving a tree stand up from one season to the next has some inherent problems that outweigh any convenience.
When a tree stand is exposed to the elements due to long-term placement, it may have damaged straps, ropes and attachment cords — any of which potentially may lead to breakage and failure.
For more information on hunting seasons, Hunting Heritage Apprentice Permits and the Hunter Education Program, visit ncwildlife.org.
